After a magical NHL season came to an end with the Colorado Avalanche lifting the 2022 Stanley Cup, all eyes turn to the draft for the new season.
The draft will see 225 prospects selected by the 30 NHL teams on July 7th and 8th, live on ESPN, and will get each team a chance to get closer to the Avalanche in the new season with strategy and fine picks.
But who is likely to be first pick? And where will everyone else likely end up? Lets take a look at the prospective draft and check out the best betting options available to earn you some extra cash.
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NHL Draft information
- July 7-8, 2022
- Live on ESPN
- 225 prospects available
- Montreal Canadiens get first pick
Mock NHL Draft 2022
#1 Shane Wright - Montreal Canadiens
He's the consensus number one pick in the draft this year despite an only okay draft year, but Wright will be the first name called out on the day.
After finishing in 8th place with the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL, Wright really showed his two-way ability and scoring potential during the season with 94 points in 63 games including 11 points in nine games in the post-season.
Wright showed his playmaking abilities too, with a brilliant set of assists and alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki the Canadiens will be looking to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2023 after a poor 2022 campaign.
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#2 Juraj Slafkovsky - New Jersey Devils
The Devils have already got three brilliant centres in their squad, with Nico Hischier leading the way in their roster, so that leaves winger Slafkovsky as the obvious first pick for them in the draft.
At 6ft 4, the tricky winger doesn't have many weaknesses in his game, with great scoring ability and after a top performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics he saw his stock rise well.
He didn't have the best of regular seasons with just ten goals in 31 games, before getting seven more goals in 17 post-season games. It's not often a player of this quality and skill comes available at number two, so the Devils would be mad not to jump all over it.
#3 Logan Cooley - Arizona Coyotes
Cooley has already committed to going to the University of Minnesota, but that shouldn't stop Arizona pulling out all the stops to ensure they have him on their roster in the future.
Arguably the best two-way centre in the draft this year, Cooley has got bags of natural talent and has the speed to get up and down the ice incredibly quickly.
With an amazing 27 goals, 48 assists, and 75 points with the US NTPD last season he showed his qualities and he would be a huge coup for the Coyotes even if they do have to wait on him to arrive. He would immediately become their top centre prospect.
Despite being only 5ft 10, his lack of size is balanced by his excellent decision making and could be the best number three pick there's been.
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#4 Simon Nemec - Seattle Kraken
The first defensive player to be called out will be Slovakian Nemec and it's almost certain that it'll be Seattle who are the ones to be on the receiving end of his services.
He's your typical defenseman in the modern day NHL, excelling defensively and on defensive actions but he's also talented enough on the ice to get forward and join in with rush attacks if the opportunity arises.
He has the potential to become a real stalwart for whatever franchise he ends up, and Seattle could do with that type of quality at both ends of the ice.
After selecting Matty Beniers with their first pick last year, they can pair him for Nemec this year and sort their future out for the next decade with this move.
#5 David Jiricek - Philadelphia Flyers
If Nemec isn't the best defensive player in the draft this year, then it absolutely has to be David Jiricek and his status as a top five pick all but confirms that.
The reason for the doubt is a knee injury he suffered last year, which saw him miss a chunk of the season. Despite that though, his ability at both ends of the ice has earned him a big reputation.
His best trait comes in transition from defense into offense, where he wins the puck back and immediately is able to drive forward and create situations where his team outnumber the opposition.
The alternative for Philadelphia is that they go for a right-handed defenseman in this slot of the draft but there are no stand-out picks in that role and Jiricek is by far the best of the rest of the available picks.
After missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Flyers need to add guaranteed quality to their roster and selecting Jiricek at number five does exactly that.
